Iran Summons Swiss Envoy over U.S. ‘Irresponsible’ Missile Claim

Iran summoned the Swiss ambassador on Tuesday to condemn what it called an “irresponsible” claim by the U.S. Ambassador to the UN that Tehran supplied a missile fired at Saudi Arabia from Yemen on Nov. 4, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported.

Iran has responded to U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley’s statements concerning the evidence, the Trump administration allegedly has, proving that the Islamic republic had violated UN resolutions by exporting weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen. Iran, via the Swiss ambassador in Tehran, expressed protest over U.S. statements, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi has explained on Tuesday.

The Swiss embassy represents U.S. interests in Tehran, where Washington has had no mission since 1980 when Iranian students took 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.

“In protest against irresponsible statements by the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the Swiss ambassador in Tehran was summoned to the Foreign Ministry, where Iran’s official protest was expressed to him regarding the ungrounded accusations by Nikki Haley,” the ministry said.

The U.S. envoy to UN has accused Iran of supplying Houthi rebels in Yemen with missiles, thus violating UN resolutions. Haley has presented what she said was evidence of the claim, including remnants of an allegedly Iranian-made short-range ballistic missile, fired from Yemen at King Khaled International Airport outside Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh in early November, as well as a drone and an anti-tank weapon recovered in Yemen by the Saudis.

Despite the fact that the American envoy failed to specify precisely when the weapons were transported to the Houthis, she has expressed confidence that Tehran was standing behind these arms supplies, adding that they were “Iranian made, Iranian sent, and Iranian given”.

Iran has reacted to the statements, rejecting the “provocative and destructive” accusations made by the United States, comparing them to reports of U.S. intelligence on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The UN resolution, ensuring Iran’s nuclear deal’s correspondence with global powers, bans the country from supplying, selling or transferring arms abroad unless agreed by the UN Security Council, with a separate UN resolution, prohibiting the supply of weapons to Houthis in Yemen.

Qassemi also condemned Washington’s move to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution against U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent decision on al-Quds (Jerusalem) as “a move against international peace and security”. In a statement released late on Monday, Qassemi said by vetoing the resolution, which was backed by 14 other member states of the UNSC, the U.S. once again proved that it is taking steps in line with the interests of the Zionist regime of Israel and is seeking to violate the legitimate rights of all Palestinians.

“Despite efforts made by the Islamic countries and the resolution proposed by Egypt, as the only Arab country in the UNSC and given the U.S.’s hostile and racist policy to unilaterally support the occupiers of the holy Quds (Israel), there was no doubt that the U.S. would disrupt and oppose to any plan that hampers the progress of the recent decision of the country. We once again stress that the U.S. decision to recognize this city (Quds) as the capital of the occupying regime is a flagrant violation of international resolutions,” he noted.

He added that Iran calls on the international community and all the countries in the world to prevent the U.S. from implementing its plan on Quds to preserve international peace and security.